Spooked
by LectaWindwalker
Summary: It was that time of the year again in Resembool, and with their little Xingese boarder, Alphonse decided to show Mei just what Halloween was all about. Of course, he hadn't actually expected to meet a real ghost.


"I've never heard of Halloween…" Mei muttered as she flipped through the magazine of costumes. "And the point of it is to dress up and take candy from people?"

"Yeah, pretty much. I know there was another reason for the holiday," Al said quietly, "I just can't remember."

"So we're going to get dressed up?"

"Mhm. I was thinking we might get dressed up in similar costumes."

Mei tilted her head in confusion, "Similar costumes?"

"Yeah. Like I go as a prince and you as a princess, or something like that?"

"Why?"

Alphonse blushed, "It's a thing that couples tend to do. Dress up in costumes that go together."

Mei shrieked in joy as she sprang up on Al, wrapping her arms around the blonde's neck. "I'd love to do that!"

"I…I'm glad…"

"Why is bean-girl screaming Al?" Edward called from the kitchen.

Mei pulled back with a frown, "Who are you calling a bean-girl, you bean-boy?!"

"What'd she say?!"

"Borther calm down. It's just a joke." Al called, hoping to prevent an all-out war.

"Why is she still here?"

Al rolled his eyes. "She's a guest Brother! Be nice!"

Ed's reply was too soft to make out, so the Xingese girl and the Amestrian boy ignored it.

"What will we go as Alphonse?"

"I'm not sure…" Al leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest.

"We could go as Xingese royalty…"

Al laughed. "You are Xingese royalty. The point of Halloween is to dress us as something you aren't."

"Oh…okay," Mei sighed.

Both sat in silence for a moment. They both were deep in thought and jumped when Edward's voice broke through the silence again. "How about going as ghosts?"

"Ghosts?" Al asked, looking up to see his brother standing in the doorway.

Ed shrugged, "It's just an idea. You don't have to do it."

Edward left and the two kids looked at one another. Al shrugged, "Sounds good to me…"

Mei cocked her head to the side, "But how?"

"Well, we can wear white clothes. And white face paint too."

"And I can use rentanjutsu to make our hair white!"

They smiled at one another. "This is going to be the greatest Halloween ever!"

* * *

It had been an excellent night. Mei and Xiao Mei had greatly enjoyed traveling from house to house, collecting candy and the occasional piece of fruit. It had been a good haul in Al's opinion, their bags bulging to the point where they were difficult to carry.

"Let's cut through the graveyard," Al groaned as he shifted his bag. "It'll cut time from our walk home."

Mei nodded, dragging her alchemy-reinforced bag across the dirt road behind her. The pair looked like real ghosts as they trudged through the night, the white shining through the darkness. They were both tired though, and their quick pace slowed as they entered the graveyard. They laughed with one another, talking about what they would eat first when they got back to the Rockbell residence.

"You fools…"

Al, Mei and Xiao Mei stopped dead in their tracks. They looked at one another in confusion. "Did you hear something Mei?"

"I…don't…know…"

"How dare you mock me…"

Spinning around, Al dropped his bag and held his hands up, ready to clap and perform alchemy. "Who's there?"

"You think you can come through my resting place…" Something white moved from the corner of Al's sight and he spun toward it, "…mocking my fate? How dare you…"

Al gasp and Mei bit back a shriek as what looked like a person moved from out of the shadow of a large oak tree. Al stuttered, "Who…who are you?"

"Who am I…?" the thing asked. It looked like Al and Mei; the cloths were white and the same with the hair and face. The only differences were the red eyes the creature had. "You should know boy… You and that child ridicule me with such a getup…."

"Y…you….you're…a….g…ghost?" Mei stammered as both she and Al took a step back. The creature matched the move with a step forward.

"I am one who has long since ceased living…" it sighed. It took another step towards them. "A being that was cursed to forever wander amongst the living…..and you make jest…."

"We didn't mean anything by it!" Al shouted, taking hold of Mei's hand. "We're really sorry…"

"Sorry…? I'll make you pay for this joke…" The creature lunged forward suddenly.

All three trick-or-treaters screamed and bolted from the cemetery, forgetting about their Halloween haul. They didn't stop running until they reached the Rockbell home, reaching it in record time. Pinako Rockbell stared in mild amusement over her pipe as the boy, girl and panda rushed right past her and locked themselves in the room that served as the Elric's bedroom, shrieking about how they were sorry.

Back in the cemetery, the 'ghost' dropped to the ground with a howl of laughter. Winry Rockbell stepped out from behind the Oak tree with a smile plastered on her face. "You were right Ed. They fell for it."

"That was great," Ed snickered as he pushed himself up from the ground. With a clap, his cloths, hair and face returned to their normal colors. "Ah man, I wish they could've seen their faces."

"I wish I'd taken a picture," Winry grinned as she squatted down to peek into the bag that Al had dropped. "You know, this was much better than going out to get it ourselves."

"I know, right?" Ed grinned back at her, reaching for Mei's bag.


End file.
